Infant formula adds to Ireland’s export optimism

MILK processors know they will spend tens of millions of euro, if not hundreds of millions, to prepare for 2015, said Minister Simon Coveney in the Dáil last week.

“There is no point producing milk unless it has somewhere to go,” said Minister Coveney. “The processing sector in Ireland is at full capacity in the high season when cows are out on grass and producing milk at their highest levels. At those times we have no excess capacity.”

He cited Danone’s new infant formula processing plant at Macroom, which will increase its production from 35,000 tonnes to more than 100,000 tonnes of infant formula, using considerable milk volume.